Castiel Is Not Your Father
by Princess Peyton
Summary: Claire begins working on what she thinks is a case. Instead, she meets Jack the nephilim, who is currently hiding from the rest of the world. Set after 13 07
1. Unanswered Prayers

**Author's note: Here's a story a made, because I love Claire's character developement, and I don't feel like we get enough of her in the show. Also, Jack is a cutie pie that I can't get enough of. This would be set after the most recent episode,13x07, after Cas is imprisoned in Hell while looking for Jack. Let me know what you think in the comments!**

* * *

Claire felt her hand catch the pipe that had been swung at her. Her other hand was suddenly pressed against a demon's forehead as he vanished in a bright flash of light.

"Castiel?" a familiar voice asked.

And then she was looking down at her father, who was covered in blood. She screamed for him, but not a sound escaped her lungs. She heard her own voice speaking out to him, but it wasn't her.

"...You served us well. Your work is done. It's time to go home now, your real home. You'll rest forever in the fields of the Lord. Rest now, Jimmy." _No, no, no!_

"No... Claire?" Jimmy asked _. Daddy, can you hear me?_

"She's with me now. She's chosen. It's in her blood, as it was in yours." _I didn't know it was gonna be like this._

"Please, Castiel. Me, just take me. Take me, please." _Please, not again._

* * *

Claire let out a frustrated groan, burying her face in her hands. A deep sigh came from her mouth as she brought her head back up to her laptop screen and continued to search the news for any missing people, for _anything_ that could be a case.

Living without Jody or Alex proved to be more difficult than she had expected. Being left alone with her own thoughts was miserable, so she threw herself into her work. At least it gave her a sense of purpose. That was the reason she left, _right?_

After realizing that the sun had gone down, she flipped the switch on the wall. Sparks flew from the lamp, leaving her in the dark. She grabbed the TV remote, pressing down on the power button. The screen remained black. Grumbling to herself, she stood up and marched out of the motel room.

"Hey, power's out in...Oh." she blurted as soon as she swung the door open to the front office. The room was completely dark, save for a couple candles lit next to where the receptionist sat at her desk.

"Yeah, the power's been out for over an hour now, honey," the woman replied.

"When's it gonna come back up?"

"Don't know, sorry. It went out in the whole city, so there's not really anything I can do."

 _Well that's a little weird,_ Claire thought. "The whole city?"

"Yup. I guess there's some sort of freaky power outage going on through the area."

"Any news on what started it?" She pressed. The sky was clear with no signs of a storm. _There has to be something supernatural here._

"No clue. Some folks are saying that there's some strong winds over by the beach that could of knocked the power lines around, but… No way that would cause an outage this big," she shrugged.

"Uh-huh. Well, have a good night…" Claire replied, leaving the office.

She immediately got in her car and drove towards the beach.

As soon as Claire stepped out of her car, cold wind snapped through her hair. She pointed her flashlight towards the beach. Not a single person was to be seen.

She walked along the shore, looking for anything out of the ordinary. After walking a mile through the wind, she came to a dead end and turned around.

As soon as she faced the other direction, a gust of wind shot into her face, bringing sand and drops of saltwater to her face. She coughed, then found more sand flying into her mouth.

 _Damn it,_ she thought to herself as she struggled to breathe. She scanned the area through squinted eyes, looking for anything to take cover. Her gaze settled on a large hole on the seacliff, and she immediately ran towards it.

Once inside the cave, the coughing began again. Sand spat out of her mouth as she struggled for air. After hacking up a splash of saltwater, she could finally breathe normally again. She glanced outside of the cave, surprised to find that the wind was no longer howling. Her brows furrowed in question.

"Are you okay?" a voice suddenly came from the back of the cave.

Claire immediately pulled her gun from her back pocket and spun around to face the voice. "Who are you?" She demanded.

"Uhm… My name is Jack," he said softly.

"Okay… Jack. What are you doing in a cave in the middle of the night?"

"I'm... " He was quiet as he thought about how to answer. "I'm hiding. What are you doing?"

Claire relaxed and dropped her gun. She pointed her flashlight towards the stranger. Behind him, there were symbols drawn all throughout the cave wall. She looked at him skeptically.

"Right… Uhm, who are you hiding from, exactly?" she interrogated.

"Everyone, I suppose."

"Everyone?"

"...Yes."

"...Uh, okay, well, _Jack_ … You don't really look like a bum who lives in a cave to me, so why don't you be a little more specific? I might be able to help you."

"How? Who are you?"

"My name's Claire. I... hunt things."

Realization dawned on Jack. "Oh! So you're a _hunter_ …"

"Yeah. You too?"

"Well, not really. I'm not very... experienced."

"So, tell me what you're hiding from. I can help you out."

Jack gave her a warm smile. "Thank you, Claire. But I don't think you can help me."

"Will you at least tell me what's going on?"

"Do you know about angels?"

Claire let out a bitter chuckle. "I'm familiar with them, yes."

"Well, my father was an angel."

Claire's heart skipped a beat and she felt a pang of sympathy for the boy. "Oh… I'm sorry. I mean, I get it. My dad was an angel, too..."

Jack tilted his head and looked at Claire with a curious expression that looked _exactly_ like the certain angel she knew.

"You're a nephilim as well?" Jack confusedly asked.

"What?"

"A nephilim… Half angel, half human."

"No. That's not what I… My dad wasn't _actually_ an angel. He was just… He was just the meat suit." She nervously swallowed, realizing that Jack wasn't entirely human.

"You mean that your father was an angel's vessel?"

"Right... And your father was an actual angel." Claire inquired, reaching again for the gun in her back pocket. _Just in case._

Jack surveyed the girl in front of him. Claire was clearly terrified. He wanted to tell her to just run away from him, to leave him alone. But something about her felt _familiar_ and _safe._

He took a step towards her. "Yes... His name was Lucifer."

Upon hearing the devil's name, Claire brought out her gun and aimed it at his chest.

"Woah, I don't want to hurt you," he put his hands up in defense. "...I don't want to hurt anyone." It sounded sincere.

She remained frozen. "There's a power outage throughout the whole city. This entire beach was turned into a sandstorm... Because of you." She stated matter-of factly, gun still pointed at him.

"I… didn't realize I was doing that. I'm sorry..." He said softly.

He took another step forward and looked at her with a pained expression on his face. It was the same stupid constipated look Castiel gave her when he found her alone with no family. It was the same one that said " _I didn't mean to kill your dad and ruin your life, can't we be friends?"_

But he wasn't Castiel. He was the devil's kid. So she kept her gun pointed and warned him, "If you come any closer, I'll shoot."

Jack stood still. "Okay, I'll stay. The gun won't really hurt me anyways, unfortunately." He gave her a grim smile.

"I don't know what kind of game you're playing," Claire accused.

"I'm not… playing anything." he replied. For some reason, he felt drawn to her. He looked into her eyes. They were wide with terror, but they were also a familiar shade of blue, and he subconsciously took another step towards her to get a better look.

As promised, Claire pulled the trigger.

He looked down at his chest where she shot him, then looked at her again, completely unfazed by the bullet.

"You're… a monster..." She explained, her voice shaking with fear.

Then, there was that _stupid_ pained expression on his face again, only this time, his eyes were glowing yellow.

And the next thing Claire knew, an invisible force knocked her into the air, rendering her unconscious.

* * *

"Castiel, _please_ , can you hear me? I messed up, _again._ I need you. I'm sorry for running. Can you help me? _Castiel?_ "

Claire's eyelids swung opened when she heard his voice ringing from outside of the cave. She made out his Jack's silhouette in front of the morning sun. His face was pointed towards the sky.

"Are you... _praying?_ " She faintly whispered, her voice weak.

And in an instant, Jack was crouched over her. "You're awake," he gasped.

"Yeah, thanks. You know, for knocking me out."

"I am so, so, _so_ sorry, Claire. I didn't mean to-"

Claire cut him off. "You didn't mean to… Right. Now get off me, Junior."

He immediately backed up to give her space. She examined him carefully, as if trying to solve a puzzle.

"Why were you praying to Castiel?"

"You know him?"

"...We're acquainted."

Jack hesitated before he answered. "...He was watching over me, but then I ran away… Then you came here, and I hurt you... and I thought maybe he could help, but he's not answering..."

"So, let me get this straight… You're real father is the most evil angel in the universe, so your good ol' Uncle Castiel adopted you?"

"In a way, yes. He's more of a father to me." He explained.

Claire's mind raced back to when she was twelve years old, when the angel told her, " _I am not your father._ "

"Well, Castiel is not your father," she told him. "The sooner you realize that, the better."

"He's the closest I have to family... How do you know him?" Jack curiously asked.

She remembered her mom explaining to her that _Daddy is just sick right now. He's not himself, but don't worry. He's going to get help. He'll get better_.

"None of your business, kid," Claire answered.

"You're very similar to him," he observed.

"What?"

"Well, you have his facial features. And his eyes. You remind me of him," he mused.

"It's not _his_ eyes. It's Jimmy Novak's eyes."

"Who?"

"No one. Nevermind."

Claire pulled out her cell phone and dialed Castiel's number. It went straight to voicemail.

"Welp, he's not answering his phone either." She dialed Dean next. He picked up at the second ring.

"Claire?" his voice asked concerningly.

"Is Castiel with you?"

"No, he's… out... Working a case. Why, whats up?"

"Well, I was following up on a what I thought was a case, and now I'm hanging out in a cave with his very... _strange_ … kid."

The other line was quiet for a moment. "...Jack?"

Upon hearing his name, Jack snatched the phone from Claire's hands. "Dude, what the hell?" She protested.

"Dean, is that you?"

"Jack, where are you?"

He ignored Dean's question. "Where did Castiel go?"

"He said he was following a lead. Looking for you. Jack, what's going on?" Dean pressed.

"Dean, I prayed to him. He didn't answer."

"Shit, _God damn it_ … Jack, just… Just come back to the bunker, will you?" he pleaded over the phone.

"Okay. We'll be right there."


	2. Going Home

"So you haven't heard from Cas, at all?" Sam questioned Jack.

"No. Dean said he was looking for me. What if he's in trouble, Sam?"

"Then we'll find him," he assured. "But you need to work with us here, okay? Trust me, Jack. All of us have tried running away to try and protect each other. It never works." He gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder.

"Cas?" Dean's voice called from the other side of the room. He had his phone to his ear.

"Anything?" Sam asked.

Deans face scrunched up, like he had just been horribly offended. He put the phone down on the table. "Yeah. Said he was busy and hung up."

"So what, he answers your call, but not mine?" Claire chimed in. She looked equally offended.

"Well I mean, it was hardly a conversation," Dean argued.

"No, no. Claire has a point," Sam interrupted. "It's not like Cas to ignore her. She's like his daughter."

Claire swung her face to Sam. "I am _not_ his daughter."

Sam gave her an apologetic glance, regretting his choice of words. "Right. Sorry."

"Oh!" Everyone turned to Jack, who was looking at Claire like he had solved the world's greatest mystery. "So _that's_ why you look so similar to Castiel. He's your father. I get it."

"Like I _just said_ , he's not my father."

"Not technically. Your father was a meat suit."

" _What did you say?_ "

"That was the word you used earlier… in the cave. I'm sorry, is that an offensive term?" he asked innocently.

Claire's jaw locked as she rolled her head back to Sam and Dean. "Is he _really_ necessary here, guys?"

"Look, a lot's gone down since you've last seen Cas. There's obviously something weird going on with him now, so lets all just get along so we can figure it out." Dean mediated.

"Jack, you said you prayed to him. What for?" Sam pressed.

Jack hesitated. "Well, I, uh-"

Claire interrupted. "- _Jack_ over here got emotional and knocked me unconscious. Panicked and prayed to his good ol' Uncle Castiel for help."

"I didn't mean to hurt you... I only got emotional after you shot me... I'm sorry." Jack apologized.

"Well, _I'm_ sorry that I tried to shoot the freaky _thing_ walking towards me." she retorted.

Jack tilted his head. "That apology didn't sound sincere."

"It wasn't."

"Okay, okay," Sam interrupted. "That's _definitely_ a prayer Cas would respond to. So he's either somewhere where he can't hear it, or he's trapped… Or both." Sam speculated.

"Hell?" Dean guessed.

"Asmodeus. He would be able to impersonate Castiel… Like he did with Donatello." Jack said.

"Shit. We gotta go find him. _Now,_ " Dean said urgently, grabbing his keys off the table and heading out the door. Jack and Claire followed.

Sam stopped Claire.

"Uh, maybe you should stay here, Claire."

"Why?"

"Well, this isn't just a normal case, and… I don't think Cas would want you to put yourself in danger for him."

Claire raised an eyebrow at Sam. She cared for Castiel, though she hated to admit it. There was no way she would stay in the bunker.

"I can handle myself," she told him. With that statement, she walked out the door. Sam heaved a sigh, then followed.

The car ride was quiet.

Every now and then, Jack would turn his head to look at Claire. Caire would feel his eyes on her, and turn to face him. He would quickly hide his gaze back towards the window.

After the fourth time, she gave in. " _What?_ " she asked, snapping her head around to make eye contact.

"I just, I uh-" he stammered. "I was curious."

"...About?"

"Nothing. I… just didn't know Castiel had another child," Jack told her.

"I'm _not_ his child. Neither are you. What's your deal, anyways?" Claire asked.

"My deal?"

"Why are you here?"

"Uh well, my _real_ father secretly possessed a man that my mother loved, and since she was romantically involved with this man, they had intercourse while-"

"-That's… not what I meant." Claire stopped him. "Why are you here, helping us?" She clarified.

He looked at her for a couple seconds, as if thinking about the question. "I want to be good," he replied. "My mother thought I could do good in the world. She said Castiel would watch over me. Ever since I was born two weeks ago, Sam, Dean, and Castiel have been my family."

"...You're two weeks old?" She asked.

"And 3 days, to be exact."

She raised her eyebrows in disbelief. Then, Claire suddenly felt guilty about being so hard on the devil's spawn. No wonder the kid was so strange, he was practically a grown baby.

"Sorry I tried to shoot you," she apologized, actually sounding sincere this time.

"It's okay. Dean tried to shoot me, too." Jack said with a smile.

"That sounds like him." Claire smiled back and turned to the front of the car. "Anyways, who's Asmodeus and why does he have Castiel?"

"He's a demon. A Prince of Hell, to be exact," Dean answered.

"Prince of Hell?"

"The first human souls to be twisted into demons. They were made by Lucifer himself. Much more powerful than the average demon." Sam clarified.

"Lovely. So do you guys have a plan?"

"Well, he thinks that _we_ think that he's Cas. So we catch him off guard. A devil's trap still works on a Prince of Hell. If we can trap him, we can use him to get Cas back." Dean pulled out his phone and dialled Cas's number.

"Hello, Dean," Castiel's voice greeted through the phone.

"Cas. We found Jack," Dean told the voice.

"Oh?" he responded.

"Yeah, but… I could use some backup here. I can't get him to come back to the bunker with us. Maybe you could. He listens to you."

"Tell me where you're at, Dean. I'll be there."

* * *

Thunder sounded from outside of the motel room. A lamp flickered.

"He's almost here. You two get in the other room," Dean told Jack and Claire. They complied.

A few minutes later, Castiel's form slammed opened the door.

"Dean. Sam." he greeted dryly.

"Hey, Cas. It's good to see you," Sam responded, playing his part.

"Where's Jack? Is he alright?"

"He's uh, just in the other room. Still seems a bit shaken up, but he's okay. He doesn't want to come back with us, but he agreed to talk to you. Maybe you could convince him?" Dean asked, carefully watching the man in the trenchcoat.

"Of course. Let me see if I can reason with him," He insisted as he took a stride towards the connected motel room. As his feet walked over the rug, his body froze.

"You alright there, _Cas_?" Dean asked knowingly.

Blue eyes flickered to yellow as he turned around to face his captors. He took a deep breath, and suddenly the rug underneath his feet burnt away to reveal the devil's trap underneath.

"It seems that you boys have tricked me." Asmodeus' voice rang through. His body morphed back into his own. "You _do_ live up to your reputation."

"Where's Cas?" Dean demanded.

"Don't know," the demon answered calmly.

Then, the door swung open and Jack entered. Claire stayed behind, watching the scene unfold from the doorframe.

"Ah, Jack. So good to see you. I know we got off on the wrong foot the last time we met. For that, I apologize."

"You have Castiel," He stated. "Where is he?"

"Even if I _did_ have the angel, it shouldn't matter to you. You've been brainwashed, Jack. Castiel is not your father You shouldn't be concerned with him." Asmodeus eyed him carefully.

"You _will_ tell me where he is," Jack growled. His eyes glowed yellow, and Asmodeus was suddenly pinned against the wall, away from the devil's trap. A wicked smile danced across his face.

"Jack, no!" Sam warned, but it was too late.

"Alright, fine," Asmodeus told them. "I know where he is. Let me show you." He snapped his fingers, and suddenly they were all in Hell's throne room, surrounded by several demons.

"Son of a bitch-!" Dean exclaimed, taking out his blade and preparing to fight.

However, before he had time to stab anyone, Jack blasted them all to the ground. " _Where is he?"_ he demanded.

"-Ah, be careful, boy. You'll scare me. I might accidentally hurt one of your _friends._ " He twisted his hand, and Claire let out a shriek as her knees dropped to the floor in pain. She began coughing up her own blood.

Sam and Dean quickly ran to her aid. But before they could do anything, Asmodeus slammed both of their bodies into the wall with the wave of his hand.

"Now, you _will_ talk to me, Jack." Asmodeus smiled. "If you have any more outbursts, your friends _will_ pay the price. He closed his fist, and all three humans were knocked out.

* * *

"Claire!" a deep voice called out, worry evident in his tone.

She slowly opened her eyes. She was home. Her _old_ home. She laid on the couch in her living room. A familiar man stood in front of her. Panic hit her as she realized she was staring into Jimmy Novak's eyes.

 _Am I dead?_ she thought.

She jolted up and her mind started racing. She never got to say goodbye to Jody or Alex. There was still work to be done- people to save. Dean, Sam, and Jack were all still stuck with Asmodeus, and Castiel was still-

The man cut off her train of thought. "Claire, what are you doing here? You shouldn't be here."

Then, she was angry.

"What am _I_ doing here?" She yelled, her voice cracking. "You don't get to ask me that. You don't get to act so surprised that your daughter ended up _dead._ "

"I'm not-"

"-I thought that you were insane." She cut him off. "You know, when you ran away. Mom said it was because you were sick. That you heard voices that weren't there. I went a whole year thinking that."

"I'm sorry, Claire," he said in a defeated tone.

"Yeah, I know. I could've lived the rest of my life thinking that you were missing... But you…You came back." She paused, unable to find the right words to say. He looked down at her, pain in his eyes

She continued. "You came back, and it turned out that you weren't out of your mind after all... It turned out that you actually _chose_ to leave your family."

"It wasn't like that, Claire."

"Mom got possessed by a demon because of you. Smacked me and tied me up, just to get to _you_. And when you finally did show up, I had to see you, my own _dad_ , all bloodied up and on the verge of death. By then, _I_ was the one posessed by an angel and smiting demons with my own bare hands. And I was _twelve._ "

"I should have never done that to you..."

"Then you left us. _Again_. I know you didn't want it to turn out that way, that you did it to protect me, but... Look at me now. I'm _dead._ " she said, sitting on the couch and burying her face in her hands. She brought her head up to reveal the tears that were rolling down her cheeks. "I know you didn't want me to end up like this, Dad. I'm sorry," she cried.

"Claire, I'm not your father. And you're not dead."

"What?" She breathed, confused and shocked.

"...You're just asleep. I tried reaching you through a dream."

" ...Castiel?" She asked, feeling relieved and embarrassed at the same time. "Why are you here?"

"I'm sorry, Claire. Asmodeus knocked you unconscious. You need to wake up. Get Sam, Dean, and Jack. Get out. Don't worry about me."

"Wouldn't it be more useful to hijack one of their dreams?" Claire pointed out.

"Asmodeus has me locked away. The cell that I'm in has my powers weakened, and I can't reach Sam or Dean like this. It's… easier with you. It's..."

"..In my blood. Right," She finished.

"Claire, you need to wake up."

"How?" She asked hopelessly. She had been coughing up blood before she passed out. Even if she did wake up, she'd be helpless. _Might as well already be dead_ , she thought.

"I- I don't know. You just need to wake up!" Castiel exclaimed

"Why don't _you_ just wake me up, then?" she suggested.

"I can't, I told you. There's some kind of magic in the jail that has me weakened."

"Yeah, so? You're here inside my head now, aren't you?"

"What are you implying?" Castiel asked.

"I'm saying that we _both_ make it out of here. I'll be your vessel."

"Claire, I told your father that I wouldn't-"

"You promised my father that you'd keep his family _safe._ " She interrupted. "And you're kind of doing a piss-poor job right now. No offense."

He hated the idea, but he knew that Claire was right; this was the only way out for both of them. "I'll get you out, and then I'm gone. I won't use you for any longer than I have to." Castiel assured her.

"No. You need your body, Cas. You get me out, then you _stay_ with me until we find a way to get your real vessel back.

"I won't do that to you, Claire."

"You're not doing _anything_ to me. I'm trusting you. Besides, Jack, Sam and Dean... They need you."

Castiel didn't want to admit it, but Claire was right again. "Are you sure about this?" He asked hesitantly.

" _Yes_."

* * *

 **Cliff hanger! I had more written for this chapter, but then I got writer's block and decided to cut it short. Please review! Not sure if I should keep going with this fic or not. If you want to read another chapter let me know in the comments!**


	3. The Prince

**Here's the next chapter... Please, please please review!**

* * *

Not much time had passed before Castiel woke up on the floor of Hell's throne room. He could hear Asmodeus' voice from the other side of the room, talking to Jack.

"You and I… We have a lot in common, Jack." The demon eyed him carefully, then took a step forward.

"No... We don't," he told him firmly.

"You want to do good. You want to prove to these people- your _family-_ that you can help. Believe me, I understand." Asmodeus' expression was soft towards the young man. Jack swore that he could see just a hint of empathy in his eyes, but _no, that's not possible_ , he thought. _He's lying... again._

Jack paused for a moment, unsure of what to say. "I don't want anything to do with you or…" he faltered.

"Lucifer?" Asmodeus finished. "He was a father to me as well, you know. A horrible one at that. I've resented him for a long time. I know that he's nothing to you but a faceless monster, but... I can introduce you to the old man, if you'd like."

 _No,_ Castiel thought to himself.

"What?" Jack asked in disbelief. The Winchesters had told him that Lucifer was gone, locked in another dimension.

Asmodeus' lips curved upward into a faint smile. "He somehow managed to make his way back into our world," He explained as if reading Jack's mind. "I found him with the angel Castiel. I decided to lock them both up, only to be safe. Those two _do_ tend to cause trouble when they get together."

Jack's mind started racing. Why was Castiel with Lucifer? He wanted to blast the demon into the wall and run far, far away. Though at the same time, he felt the strange desire to finally see his _real_ father, to meet the angel that helped bring him into the world. Although, he couldn't understand why he would want such a thing. He shouldn't actually _want_ to meet the devil, _right_?

"I want to help you, Jack," Asmodeus told him gently, sensing his anxiety. "You seem so confused, lost, and _afraid_. I want to answer your questions. I've been where you've been, and I can help you- _teach_ you even. I can protect you."

Jack shook his head. He _couldn't_ believe him. Asmodeus was a demon, after all. But then what was he? The spawn of Lucifer? He shook his head. "...No. You hurt my friends. You tricked me... And now you want to use me."

"I'm not your enemy, Jack." Then Asmodeus shifted his gaze behind Jack's shoulder, where Claire now stood with an angel blade in her hand.

"Let everyone go _now_ , Asmodeus." Her voice had a gruff tone to it, one that Jack recognized immediately. He turned to face the angel, shocked and relieved at the same time.

Asmodeus eyed the two of them carefully, calculating his next move. Sure, he could take Castiel down, but not with Jack next to him- that was how Dagon died.

Instead, the Prince of Hell smiled warmly at her. "Of course, Castiel. My business here is done. I think I'll hold onto your old meatsuit, though. Your new one suits you quite well."

"No-!" Asmodeus silenced Castiel with a snap of his fingers.

"Remember, Jack. I'm always here if you need me," He reassured.

And just like that, they were all back in the motel room.

* * *

Claire opened her eyes and glanced at the clock on the nightstand. _9:04AM._ She quickly sat up from the her bed and looked around the motel room in a confused daze.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Jack asked her. He was across the room at a small table, his laptop in front of him. He was in the middle of some type of research.

"What… What just happened?" was all she could ask.

"You mean… You don't remember anything?" He looked at her concerningly.

"No, I _remember_ …" She remembered Castiel possessing her. She remembered Asmodeus. She remembered teleporting away. What she _didn't_ remember was Castiel leaving. "I just... I don't remember anything _after_ we got back."

"You passed out." He told her.

"Then where's Cas?" she asked.

"...We were hoping you knew."

Her brows furrowed. When she thought about it, she could _feel_ Castiel's presence. He wasn't gone. But _how?_

"Where'd Sam and Dean go?" She asked, changing the subject.

"They went to pick up some coffee. I told them what happened. I don't think they slept much last night." He answered. "...Are you alright?"

"I feel fine," she assured.

"And Castiel?" He asked anxiously, concerned about the angel.

"He's fine, too. I think."

"Good. I'm glad."

"Me too."

"Do you know if…" Jack spoke reluctantly.. "...Asmodeus said he had Lucifer captive... Is that true?"

Claire examined him carefully. He didn't look concerned about his own father; he only looked curious to find out the truth.

"Yeah, he has him. For now at least," she finally answered. She remembered more than just the events of last night- she now had Castiel's memories, too. She remembered Lucifer coming to him- how his grace was depleted, and how he had warned Castiel that Michael was coming.

"Asmodeus offered to introduce me to him," he told her.

"Yeah, I know. I was there."

"But why? I mean, he knows that I don't care for him. I want nothing to do with him," he said as if trying to convince her.

"He was probably trying to throw you off. Lucifer is your father, after all. It would be natural to want to see him."

"But wouldn't that make me a bad person?"

Claire shrugged. She wasn't really sure how family relations with the devil were supposed to work- but Jack _really_ didn't seem like a bad person. "Not really. That's just how human feelings work sometimes... They're stupid like that," she tried to explain.

"So I if I were curious about my father... I should ignore those feelings?" He asked her earnestly.

Claire hesitated. "...I mean, don't ignore your feelings, cus' that's how you end up emotionally constipated like Dean. But in this case, it's probably best to avoid Lucifer. He's really not a good guy. But you already know that."

Jack nodded, as if deeply considering Claire's words. "I see. Thank you."

"Yeah, don't mention it," she sighed

It was quiet for a few more moments, then Dean and Sam came through the door. They carried four to-go cups of coffee with them.

"Hey," Sam said, looking at Claire and handing a cup to her. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she repeated.

"Fine?" Dean asked skeptically.

"Yeah... Castiel healed me up, so I guess I was just exhausted after…" she trailed off.

"...After he left your body?" Dean guessed. He looked intently at her, desperate for answers.

"No," Claire answered. _That doesn't sound right. He's still here,_ she thought. "He didn't _go_ anywhere."

"What do you mean?"

"He never _left_. He's still…" Claire didn't know how to explain herself, but it was like she could _feel_ Castiel in the room still.

"...In the back of your mind?" Sam guessed, feeling all too familiar with his own experience of angelic possession.

"Yeah. Exactly." she confirmed.

Dean darted his eyes between the two of them, still not quite catching on.

"Remember Gadreel? When he possessed me?" Sam explained to his older brother, a slight bitterness to his tone.

"Yeah, what about him?" Dean questioned.

"I think Cas is pulling the same kind of stunt that he did with me."

" _Oh,_ " Deaned breathed, finally understanding. "So, what? Cas is here, he just can't come to the phone right now? _"_ he asked Claire.

"…Yeah, that would make the most sense, I guess." She could still remember the anguish on Castiel's face after she had berated him in her dream. She had meant those words for Jimmy, not _him._ Though it was clear that he took it just as personally; he had almost refused to possess her altogether.

"Alright, well, then… Let's head back to the bunker and figure out what the hell to do about _that._ "


	4. Family Issues

" _Jack…"_

Jack sat on the the library floor, books scattered all around him. Sam, Dean, and Claire were still in the front room, scouring for their own information. Jack had left them a while ago to research alone. He needed space to _think_. Even by himself, he still couldn't shut out the annoying, persistent voice in the back of his head.

"... _Jack."_

The voice ringing in his ears was similar to the ones he heard on angel radio. However, unlike the high pitched screams that gave him migraines, this voice was softer.

But he knew better than to trust any of the angels.

" _Jack, I need you to listen to me."_

He buried himself back into his research, trying to ignore the voice.

Claire had filled them in on the basic details during the car ride home. He wasn't sure which issue was more pressing; Castiel's empty vessel being kept from them, or Lucifer finding his way back into their world. Apparently, even _more_ trouble was going to follow his father through the portal. But he knew Lucifer wasn't actually to blame- Jack was the one who had opened the portal in the first place.

" _We can still fix this, together..."_ the voice whispered.

He suddenly heard footsteps from down the hall. He looked up to see Sam standing in the doorway, looking slightly worried.

"Hey... uh, you've been down here for a while... Find anything interesting?" He asked, glancing between Jack and the piles of opened books all around him.

"No. There's not a lot of information on how to bring back an angel's old vessel… and there's nothing on how to close an alternate universe." he told him grimly.

Sam examined the distraught boy in front of him. "What about you, Jack... Are _you_ alright?" He asked, looking at him with concern.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me." His voice was flat. He turned back to his book, avoiding Sam's eyes.

It was obvious that he hadn't learned how to tell a decent lie yet, so Sam walked towards him, eager to comfort the kid. "Hey, it's okay if you're not feeling good... I know things are pretty complicated right now with Cas being so quiet inside Claire… And Lucifer coming back…"

Jack pushed his eyebrows together. "Sam, _I'm_ the reason all of this happened."

"This isn't your fault," he told him earnestly. "Asmodeus and Lucifer have their own agendas, and you're just unlucky enough to be caught in the middle of it. You weren't even _born_ when that portal opened."

"But _I_ was the one to open it. And Asmodeus almost killed you all just to get to me…" he countered. He buried his face farther into his book, deep in thought. "...Maybe I should just face them alone."

"Jack, no," Sam immediately argued. "Asmodeus, Lucifer- they're dangerous."

"Maybe to you. Neither of them even _want_ to hurt me, though. They can't."

Sam sat down on the floor next to him. "We don't know that for sure… Not that it matters anyway. We're not risking it. You're a part of our family, now. So we'll fix it, _together_."

" _I'm your family, Jack. Talk to me."_

"- _No_ ," Jack responded out loud to the voice in his head, snapping his head back up. He saw Sam flinch at his abrupt change in demeanor.

"No…?" Sam asked him slowly.

" _You're my son, Jack. My biggest accomplishment. Let me help."_ The voice rang louder this time, causing Jack to grab his head in pain as he finally realized who the voice belonged to.

"I'm sorry Sam, I…" he tried to explain, but how could he? Sam was the one who had always believed that Jack was good; what would he think once he found out Jack had the devil inside his head?

"Jack, are you okay? What's wrong?" he asked urgently.

Jack knew that Lucifer shouldn't have been able to reach out to him. He was weakened, _right_? Jack decided to be honest. He owed Sam that much. "...I think Lucifer's grace is growing back..." he explained reluctantly.

Sam's breathing got heavier. "Why? What makes you think that?"

"I can hear him."

* * *

Claire looked around the front room of the bunker, taking in her surroundings.

"It's like the batcave in here. How'd you guys manage to score a place like this, anyways?" she asked Dean.

"It's pretty sweet, right?" Dean flashed her a proud smile. "Long story short, we inherited this place from our grandfather. We're _legacies_ ," he gleefully bragged.

Caire chuckled. "That must've been a kick-ass grandpa."

"Yeah, he was... I didn't get along with him at first, but he pretty much turned out to be a hero." he reminisced.

"Wait, seriously? You're actually telling me that he was involved in all of _this_ ," Claire gestured to the room around her. "...And he still lived long enough to meet his grandkids?"

"Well… No. He used a time-traveling spell to get to the future. That's how we met him. He never made it back to his own time, though. Our dad grew up thinking that he walked out on him as a kid. He hated the guy for it. That's why we didn't get along." Dean explained.

"So what really happened, then?" she asked curiously. "How'd he become a _'hero'_?"

"He sacrificed himself to bring down a demon, a real evil bitch... It's hard to be mad at the guy for doing the right thing."

"Guess I know the feeling." Claire said, the lingering comment bothering Dean. A few moments passed as they each turned their attention back to their research.

Dean finally broke the silence. "...You know that your dad never meant to leave you, right?"

"He still had a choice," she told him. "...Which is probably why Cas is being so damn _quiet_ right now."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Claire hesitated. "Back in Hell… I was dreaming. I was at my old house. Castiel was there… Except you know, since he wears my dad as a meat suit, I thought…"

"...You thought it was him?" Dean finished for her.

"Asmodeus messed me up pretty bad... I thought I _died_. Castiel was just trying to help me, and... I yelled at him," she confessed.

"What for...?" Dean asked. As far as he knew, Claire had forgiven the angel a long time ago.

Claire breathed a huff of air. "Leaving his family for an angel. Letting us think he was insane. Coming back home with demons on his trail. Leaving _again_. Just... ruining my life in general." She explained.

" _Oh_ ," Dean commented awkwardly, realizing that it wasn't actually _Cas_ that she was talking about.

"I thought that I was dead. That I was talking to my dad. I didn't realize it was Cas... But you know how he is, he took it personally. I was barely able to convince him to possess me after that."

"Wait, so this whole vessel thing _wasn't_ his idea?" Dean raised his eyebrows.

"He was just trying to wake me up. He wanted everyone to escape. He told me not to worry about him." Claire wrinkled her face at the thought. "There was no way I was waking up, though. I threw up like, a ton of blood. I told him that he might as well just hitch a ride out of Hell with me."

Dean shook his head. "Of course... Don't know why I expected anything different from Cas."

"He was going to leave right after we got out, too... but I convinced him to stay. I thought we could find a way to get his real vessel back..." her voice was heavy with concern. Despite everything, she still _cared_ about Castiel.

"Don't worry, we will…" He reassured her. "Thank you, Claire."

"For…?"

"Saving Cas."

Just then, Sam came through the hallway. His worried eyes met their confused expressions.

"We have a problem," He announced, out of breath.

"Of course we do," Dean complained, rolling his eyes. "What is it now?"

"Lucifer's grace is growing stronger again… He's- I think he's trying to reach out to Jack."

And then, Claire heard it; the flutter of wings coming from the library. It was the sound of somebody _leaving_. A switch flipped in her brain as she stood up from her chair.

"He just left," she heard her own voice say, but she wasn't doing the talking.

"What? No, I was just with him. He's still in the library..." Sam insisted.

"No, he's not. He's gone."

"...How do you know, Claire?" Dean asked.

"I'm not Claire, Dean."

* * *

Jack suddenly stood before the throne of Hell, Asmodeus sitting comfortably and looking down at him.

"Jack," the demon greeted warmly. "I didn't expect to see you again so soon. How are you?"

"I have a headache." Jack told him with no context.

Asmodeus raised an eyebrow. "That seems very much like a human problem. I'm sure Sam or Dean would be able to help you better than me."

"It's actually more of an angel problem," he said, staring up at the demon.

"Ah, is it angel radio?" he asked curiously. "I hear that can be quite annoying."

"Yes."

"Well then... What can I do for you, Jack? I'd love to help you." Asmodeus insisted, eager to gain his trust.

"I think you're the one that needs my help," he told him.

"And what do you mean by that?"

"I don't think you can't keep Lucifer locked up much longer. He's too strong for you."

"I assure you, I have Lu completely under control." he insisted.

"Then _why_ do I hear him calling to me in my head?" Jack asked.

"So he's the one on thel radio, then? That's... interesting."

"It's annoying, and I want it to stop," Jack retorted.

"I'm sorry, Jack. Maybe you'd like to tell that to him?" Asmodeus suggested.

"Yes, I would. Bring me to him," Jack ordered.

Asmodeus smiled. _Already quite the fearless commander_ , he thought to himself. "Of course. Follow me."

He started towards the nearest hallway, gesturing for Jack to follow as they both walked deeper into the depths of Hell. They eventually came to a room full of cells. The first cell Jack saw held Castiel's lifeless vessel inside, making his heart leap out of his chest. And then he saw the next cell…

Inside stood a man with dirty blonde hair staring right at him. He breathed a happy sigh and smiled. "It is so _great_ to finally see you, Jack."

Jack stared at him for a full minute before responding. "So… It's really you," he breathed. It was less of a question, and more of a statement.

"I've been dying to meet you, kid. It's too bad we couldn't have this moment sooner." His gaze shifted to the demon and back. "I'm sure Asmodeus has been playing _real_ nice, though."

"Cut it, Lu. He's not here for a family reunion," the demon interrupted.

Lucifer glared at him menacingly. " _Excuse me_ , but I believe that I'm having a conversation with _son_ ," he snapped, then turned his attention back to Jack with a bright smile. "So, kiddo, how have your first few weeks on earth been?"

Jack didn't bother with the small talk. "Why have you been calling out to me?"

He gave him a genuinely puzzled look. "Why wouldn't I? I'm a concerned father."

Jack glared at him. "I don't trust you."

Lucifer heaved a dramatic breath and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Your old man is evil, blah blah blah, I know. But you still came to see me, right? So hear me out. I can help you."

Asmodeus spoke up again. "You're not in the position to help anyone, Lu."

Lucifer pressed his forehead to the metal bars and looked straight at Asmodeus. "I'm in the position to do _whatever the hell I want_ , Asmodeus." he growled, then turned back to Jack. "So tell me, Jack, has 'Mody over here been helpful at all lately?"

Jack turned to Asmodeus "You _have_ been nothing but trouble..." he trailed off. The demon watched Jack nervously. He knew that if Jack was upset enough, he could easily end him right there and then. He was relieved to see that Jack seemed to remain calm.

But Jack was the least of his problems.

"You know what? I completely agree with you right there, kid." Lucifer said." He was always way in over his head." He looked to the demon and snapped his fingers.

Asmodeus suddenly exploded into a million pieces.

Jack stared at his own father, completely surprised. He knew Lucifer's grace was growing back fast, but he didn't know that he had already gotten _that_ strong. " _How did you just do that_?" he demanded.

Lucifer suddenly appeared on the other side of the prison cell. He looked at Jack and winked.

"You see, son, anything is possible if you put your mind to it."

* * *

 **Hope ya'll liked this chapter! It was a fun one to write. Please please please review!**


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